Steadfast in Faith – The Story Of An Eritrean Christian

Christians of Eritrea face persecution after persecution. The government has a strong rule over the Christians of the region. There is a continuous environment of imprisonment and detention and torture and Christians are barred from practicing their faith.

Similar is the story of Yohan. He has faced abuse and survival has been ordeal. Yohan was a powerful evangelist and had been arrested for practicing faith and teaching the Word of God. It is illegal to preach in Eritrea and anyone who still does that has to face severe consequences.

He was conscripted at the age of 18. His term in jail was torturous. He was beaten and starved and tied up like an animal. Yohan was forced to eat trash and drink dirty rain water that had been stagnant from three days. He was bound up and left in the open.

“They take you outside in the hot sun with nothing to make you suffer and leave you out in the cold at night… I was praying and God told me, “Don’t be afraid. It will pass. Stand in your faith,” Yohan told International Christian Concern.

After facing unimaginable persecution, Yohan decided to stand up for himself. He decided to run to Sudan to seek refuge and was provided a military uniform to disguise him. He made it outside the prison gates and ran for four days to reach Sudan. He was interrogated and released.

From there he traveled to different parts of Africa and Zimbabwe and Egypt and now lives under asylum in USA.
The persecution Eritrean Christians face is unimaginable. Risking life by trying to escape the country is better than staying in Eritrea and spending life in jail.